The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-12-22
CALIFORNIA.
The Facts About the Boom, by One
Who has Returned.

from the GaiVestOn News
Houston, December 15.-This morning
the News correspondent met II. L.
Crutcher, who returned couple of days
ago from trip to California, where he
went for the purpose of making the
Golden stats his future home. Mr..
Crutcher has lived a number of years here
and is well known in the city. He is par
ticularly known to the fremen, having
been for a long time the gallant driver of
Protection Fire company, No. /. Mr..
Crutcher left here about the 1st of ROvem-
Der, and in due time landed at Los
Angeles. After spending few days there
he visited San Diego,San Bernardino, San
Pedro, Cotton and later San Francisco and
Sacramento.
"What did you think after looking
through those places with a view to set
thing and making a livingH"
81 thought that they were the poorest
places for a workingman to 60 that ever
saw. There are more idle people there
without money and the means of making
a living than any place or section that has
ever come under my observation. At Los
Angeles there are hundreds OF men, who
have been there a greater or less length of
time, out of work and without means to
support themselves. These men were in
most instances induced, like myself, to go
by advertisements published in different
shapes, stating the prosperity and plenty
to be found there. Pretty good wages are
paid, but everything neces .ary 70 living is
so high that it takes more tnan half of an
ordinary mans salary to keep him alive.
Wages are certainly high, but they cannot
rpn n lnur Of ha
Der of unemp loyed men there and still
arriving. Where $50 or $40 per month
are paid here $50 or 500 are paid there,
but living costs just twice as much there,
and is far from being as comfortable as
here. If one has little money and wants
to put it into any business he cannot do
it, because it takes big money to do any
thing there. l saw two men try to pur-
chase small drinking saloon, or more
correctly, small wooden shanty, where
people were served with bad liquor. The
owner asked $4,000 for the ground the
shanty was on, though it was not larger
than 50x25 feet"
"How about mechanics and tradesmen?"
SIT is overstocked with carpenters.
While there 1 saw man, his wife aud
three children, from Louisiana, get off of
the train at Cotton. They had been to
Los Angeles. He tried to get work there,
but failing, after several days. effort,
went to Cotton, where he landed with only
a few dollars. He made the greatest eff
fort to get employment, and wanted TO
work for just what it would cost to live,
but he could get nothing to- do. He and
his family we're in actual want. Their
condition was so pitiable that, hard up as
l Was, purchased lot of the necessaries
of life for them. l also furnished meals
to a number of men who were in actual
distress for the want of food. No one
but capitalist can rent ground there for
farming purposes, because the land has
to be irrigated, and the water must be
brought, as a rule, so far that it places
the cost out of the reach of man ia or
binary circumstances.
"While waiting at and about the depot
platform at Cotton for the train, which
was several hours late, 1 took a pretty
good look around the place, and seeing no
evidences of soil cultivation within the
reach of the eye in any direction, asked
man who lived near by what the people
lived upon. He answered: we live upon
fruit and fish, / had seen no sign of
water anywhere near, though had looked
for it, and l asked where they got the
fish. He answered very promptly: we
live on eastern suckers 1t struck me az
being literally true. On my first night at
San Diego 1 was unable to get into a
hotel, but got the use of cot, quilt and
pillow for one dollar. San Diego is q
nice town, but the citizens are not doing
any export business. Ships come in well
freighted, but ten out Of eleven go out
baIlosted with sand. Altogether, Cali
fornia is now the woIst place for the
sboring man know of. The above may
be applied TO the tradesmsn."
After mentioning several facts to show
the crsmped condition of many persons,
Mr.. Crutcher drew a beautiful gold watch
and chain from his pocket and said he
bought il for $50 from a man who wanted
money enough to get back to his home in
Iowa. He continued: "Before buying 1t !